The Scope Of Masonry.

him it is no longer a mystery . It should not be a mystery to any of its members . Yet , alas , how many Master Masons are thero in name , that are only Entered Apprentices in fact . They have been " brought to light , " but afterwards have wandered into darkness . You mnst

remain in the light , and use that light , if you would receive its proffered advantages Welcome the day when initiates shall no longer play Masonry , but fairly and honestly work it . It is not a plaything . It is not a show . It is a Fraternity with unlimited capacities for enlarging tho

understanding , purifying the heart , and elevating tho character of its Brethren , while at the same time it ministers to tho healthy development of their social and convivial propensities . Whoever forgets this , or neglects it , voluntarily resigns a part of his noble heritage as a Craftsman . — Keystone .

Miscellaneous Subjects.

MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS .

BT BRO . JACOB NORTON . WITHOUT circumlocution I shall proceed to throw out a few hints upon several disconnected topics . 1 st . A Massachusetts judge and P . D . G . M ., after reading in this journal of 23 rd February the comments of Bro . Q . upon my letter in the previous number , remarked , " With Q . ' s mode of reasoning , he could prove anything and everything . " The mere facts of Ooxe's Deputation of 1730 , and the existence of a Lodge in Philadelphia soon after , does not necessarily prove that the authority of the latter was derived from the former . Within three weeks Bro . MacCalla

discovered a record extending from 24 th June 1731 to 1738 . This discovery proves ( what no one hitherto doubted ) the existence of a Lodge in Philadelphia in 1731 . Brother MacCalla further informed me that he hopes to discover soon the charter of Henry Bell's Lodge . But as the said record is minus of the name of Coxe , and of £ 2 10 s paid for a warrant , the legitimacy of the Lodge is still doubtful .

When , therefore , Bro . MacCalla will produce his hoped for charter , then I shall cheerfully congratulate him , thank him for it , and I will beg him a thousand pardons too . But until then , I cannot put faith in any one ' s mere hopes . 2 nd . To show that I am not ashamed of acknowledging an error , I freely confess that the statement I made in a subsequent letter ,

that the Grand Lodge of England had no Chaplain before 1813 , was wonjf . My reason for that supposition arose from the following cause . About fourteen years ago I copied , from the 1784 Constitution , the list of Grand Officers from 1717 to 1784 this list is minus of a Chaplain . After which I learned from several publications , of 1762 and later , that the Moderns used no prayers in their Lodges .

The records here in Boston of the last century ( as already explained ) seem to confirm the statements in the said publications ; hence , I came to the above conclusion . But a few days after I mailed the letter , I wrote to Bro . Henry Sadler that I found that in 1775 Dr . Dodd was appointed Grand Chaplain . Upon further research , I found that Dr . Dodd was , for well known reasonsexpelled in 1777 . In

, 1781 , there was again a Chaplain among the Officers of your Grand Lodge , which was , however , discontinued in the ensuing years , to the end of the volume . But after all , it is evident that the Grand Lodge of England had no permanent Chaplain before 1813 ; then , and then only , the Chaplain became a constitutional officer of the Grand Lodge .

3 rd . Anderson , in the 1738 Constitution , ascribes the preliminary meeting of the Four Lodges to the year 1716 . Preston has it February 1717 . It is possible that Anderson meant according to the Old Style . But where did Preston learn that tho said first meeting of the four Lodges took place in February ? 4 th . Some years ago I was hunting for information about the birth

and death of our Dr . Anderson . Among other books I consulted Chambers ' s Scotch Biographical Dictionary . I believe ifc consisted of four volumes , and to the best of my recollection there was very little in it about Dr . Anderson . Eecently I consulted the second edition of that work , viz ., of 1854 , and therein I found something new , that is , it was new to me . First , that he was a brother of Adam Anderson , author of the Commercial History . The said Adam

was born in 1692 and died in London in 1765 . Furthermore ( which ia new to me ) , after stating that he ( Dr . Anderson ) was for many years minister of the Scots Presbyterian Church in Swallow Street , Piccadilly , it goes on thus : — " And was well known among the people of that persuasion in London by the nick-name of Bishop Anderson . He was a learned but imprudent man , aud lost a considerable part of his property from too deep dabbling in the South Sea Scheme . "

After some very favourable comments upon Dr . Anderson ' s work , TMS ., " Royal Genealogies , " ko ., the writer says , " The dates of this worthy man ' s birth and death are not ascertained ; he lived in a house opposite Saint James Chnrch , Piccadilly . " From the Gentleman ' s Magazine , 1739 , I afterwards ascertained that Anderson died on 28 th May that year . Nowcannot some brother ascertain whether

, the Presbyterians in those days had a burying ground of their own , or whether they used to be bnried in the parish churchyards ? and in either case , I think that the grave of our old brother might still be discovered , and the grave-stone may , perhaps , reveal the ° date of "Jr . Anderson ' s birth . Nay more , the newspapers and magazines of unit vi

» " < = ) our ur . Anderson ' s death may perhaps throw light upon the desired subject . While writing about Dr . Anderson I was reminded of a photograph ot an engraving , said to be a portrait of Dr . James Anderson . The picture looks more like a portrait of a German or French nobleman

Miscellaneous Subjects.

dressed np with an effusion of lace , & c , for the purpose of holding a grand levy ; and ifc certainly does not look liko a porltait of a Presbyterian minister . But who knows whether his nick-namo of /! is / wp may not have originated from his trying to ape some ilnndy bishop in wearing gaudy apparel ? But be that as it may , I think it is high time to make nn effort to learn something more than we

know about tho author of tho original Freemasons' Constitution . 5 th . I pointed out in the letter wherein tho Chaplain blunder appeared that Solomon Mendez and Benjamin Da Costa where respectively Grancl Stewards in 1732 and in 1737 , which old brethren , I believed , were Jews . Since then I fonnd that Moses Mendez was Grand Steward in 1738 , and about the latter I found a brief sketch

in the " Biographia Dramatica , " Vol . I ., Dublin 1782 , which T think will not be uninteresting to the general reader . " MOSES MENDEZ , ESQ . This gentleman was a Jew , and , if I am not mistaken , either a stock broker or a notary public . He was a person of considerable genius , of an agreeable behaviour , and entertaining in conversation , and hacl a very pretty turn for poetry . Ho

was what poets rarely are—extremely rich—being supposed to be afc the time of his death , which happened the 4 th day of February 1758 , worth one hnnclrod thousand pounds . He wrote threo little dramatic piecs , all of which met with good success , and some of the songs in two of them still justly continue favourites with persons of poetical and musical taste . "

Mendez ' s compositions are—1 st , Chaplet , M . E . ( Musical Entertain , ment ) , Svo , 1749 ; 2 nd , The Shepherd ' s Lottery , M . E ., Svo , 1751 ; 3 rd , EobinHood , M . E . 1751 ; and 4 th , Double Disappointment , a Farce , Svo , 1760 . The last was published after his death . From Alibono ' s Dictionary of Authors , I further learned thafc Mozes Mendez was "the friend of Thompson . " And that " acollection of his mosfc

esteemed pieces of poetry thafc havo appeared for several years , with a variety of originals , was printed in London in 1767 , intended as a supplement to Dodsloy ' s collection of poems , in which some of Mendez's poems will be found . " It seems that there was a family connection between tho Mendez ' s and Da Costa's . In the "Gentleman ' s Magazine , " Vol . LXXXIII . p 428 , I fonnd a letter giving the names of twelve Jewish families , who

resided in London in 1663 , whioh the writer copied from a manuscript left by Moses Mendez Da Costa , originally copied from the records of the Portuguese Jewish Synagogue . After giving tho names of the families , and their respective places of residence , the writer adds : " Mr . Lysou , in his account of Stepney , mentions Emanuel Mendez Da Costa , as buried in the old burial grounds belonging to the Jews in Mile End-road in 1791 , and has also given dates of burial of several other branches of the family . " See " Environs of Loudon , " Vol . III . p 478 .

The above Emanuel Mendez Da Costa was Foreign Secretary to the Royal Society ; ho was a very learned mineralogist : his recommendation for membership to the above-named Society was signed by tho Duke of Montague , Martin Folkes , and five other gentlemen , and is as follows : " A gentleman , well skilled in philosophical learning and natural

knowledge , particularly in what relates to minerals and fossil parts of the creation ; one exceedingly diligent in his inquiries , and who by applying himself with great assiduity to tho study of Natural History , is likely to be a useful member of the R . S . and a zealous promoter of Natural Knowledge for the advancement of which the same is provided . " —Alibone ' s " Dictionary of Authors . " of

Iu the same ^ volume the " Gentleman ' s Magazine , another letter , referring to a communication in the previous October number about an old Hebrew MS . of the thirteenth century , I believe trans , lated by a Mr . Da Costa , and I have every reason to believe that a pedigree of the Da Costa family can be found in the "Gentleman ' s Magazine " in the lasfc century . These items , though nofc strictly Masonic , have nevertheless a historic value to a Masonio student ; for

they disprove Oliver's assertion that there were no Jewish Masons before 1752 or thereabouts . Should this meet the eye of a Bro . Mendez or a Da Costs , it may send him hunting for further information . . And who knows whether we may nofc soon read in this journal some further evidence upon this subject from the pen of a lineal descendant of one of the old worthy Hebrew Grand Stewards of 1732 , 173 ; , or 1738 ? Boston , U . S ., 14 th March 1884 .

The regular meeting of the General Committee of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys was held at Freemasons' Hall , on Saturday , 5 th inst ., Brother Raynham W . Stewart in the chair . Three candidates were placed on the list of " approved " for the October election . Grants of £ 5 each for outfits were made to four of the former

pupils of the Institution , and a conditional grant of £ 20 was made to another ex-pupil . The results of what had been done by the House Committee in relation to the proposed establishment of a Junior School were communicated . Tbe House Committee recommended the Quarterly Court

of next Mouday week to adopt tbe plans and suggestions of Bro . Berridge for a School for fifty boys , while recommendations for the purchase of extra property adjoining the site of the new School were also made , the whole cost coming within the amount placed at the disposal of the

Committee by the Craft . Two notices of motion for the Quarterly Court were given before the meeting adjourned . There were present Bros . Dr . Ramsay , Matier , Hunt ,

Bowyer , Roebuck , Berridge , Hogard , Mann , Williams , Gladwell , Tyrrell , Ruf , Saunders , Dr . Morris , Dicketts , Hacker , Godson , Adlard , Webb , Gillard , Yenn , Maple , Massey , Martin , and Belton .